Mouth spreader or pocket structure



M. H. WAGMAN MOUTH SPREADER OR POCKET STRUCTURE Dec. 4, 1934.

Filed July 23, 1930 INVENTOR M02)? .127 77497724 M ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 4, 1934 1.982.845 mourn srananna on rocxn'r sraucrona mm. H. Wagman, Brooklyn, it. r. Amllioation July 2:, 1930, Serial No. 409,994

This invention relates generally to containers and more particularly to handbags'and pocketbooks," the object being to provide improved means through the agency of which the mouth wallsof a pocket or containing structure will be automatically opened and separated one from another upon being disconnected.

In containers such as ladies handbags, it is a common practice to use strips of hookless fasteners and a slide for connecting the opposing walls which define the mouth opening of the pocket structure. These fastening devices are highly advantageous for the purpose, since they positively secure the walls of the mouth opening throughout their length and prevent the loss of articles from the pocket structureeither by accident or theft, and the slide for connectingand disconnecting the hookless fasteners is easily and quickly operated. These fastening devices, which include projecting interen'gageable metallic elementa have the disadvantage that the interengageable elements, even when separated by the slide, tend to maintain a position in close proximity so that they interfere more or less with the movement of the hand to and from a position within the pocket structure. Such interengageable elementsscrape upon the hand, and, where a glove is worn, scrape and sometimes catch upon the glove.

The purpose andobject of the present invention are toovercome the foregoing disadvantages and to provide a simple and a practical construction of means whereby automatically to spread the mouth walls from one anotherand consequently the strips of interengageable elements from one another, instantly upon the disengagement of the latter through the opening movement of the slide. More particularly, the invention is concerned with the provision of bowed strip springs which are associated with the walls defining the mouth opening of the pocket structure, such springs being arra ged parallel with the strips of hookless fasteners and so asto bow outwardly in opposite directions between their ends.

Other objects and advantages of the inven,- tion will appear hereinafter.

'I'he-invention consists in the improved means whereby to spread the walls defining the mouth opening of a pocket structure, and in the form, constmction, and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

' For a further understanding of the invention reference is to be had to the accompanying draw-' which forms a material part of this application, andin which: I

Figure 1 represents a top plan view of embodying my invention, the bag being illustrated in open condition and with the opposing mouth broken away,

I vertically as at 14 to a ba 2 Claims., (Cl. 150-10) walls of the the other; I

Fig. 2 is a top plan of the pocket structure showingit in closed condition: 3

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevational, view on a larger scale, with the parts in section and parts this view being taken .on the line pocket structure spread one from 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig 4 is a vertical cross section on a still larger scale, the view being taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a detail strip springs.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein for the purpose of illustrating the utility of my improvements, Lhave shown a ladies handbag of a com mon type consisting of may be made out of any suitable material such as leather, artificial leather, or of suitablefabric. Said walls 10 and 11 may comprise a continuous sheet of material, and in continuation of the wall 11 there may be a flap or cover 12 of a common construction for closing the, top of the bag and which is adapted to of the side member 10 for securement thereto by any suitable means The side, members 10 and 11, at the opposite ends thereof are connected by pliable or flexible end pieces 13 which are creased provide folds 15 and a cell tral outwardly projecting ridge 16. End pieces of this type, sometimes referred to as accordion pleated structures, are quite common in bag and pocketbook constructions. I

In the present embodiment, I have illustrated between the side members 10 and 11 and opposite end pieces 13, a pocket structure consisting perspective view of one of the of opposing walls 17, 17' which may consist of any suitablepliable or flexible material. The pocket side walls 10 and 11 which.

be folded over the front face walls 17, 17' are joined at their bottom ends as at 18, and the ends thereof are seemed to the outwardly pointing ridges 16. shown, the outwardly projecting ridges are folded about the ends of the pocket walls 17 and 17' and these parts are thus secured firmly in position by means of vertical seams 19.

Means are provided for connecting and disconnecting at will the top longitudinal edges of the pocket walls 17 and 17'; and the means preferred for this less fasteners less'fasteners ing a series of purpose consist of strips of hookand a slide. Each strip-of hookcomprises a tape member 20 carryproiecting interengageable fastening elements m, which are brought into engage- Preferably and as ment by means of the slide member 22. In Fig. 2.

Ishow'the elements 21, carriedbythe two. strips, in interengagement with the slide by means of which they are brought into interengagement,

located at the left-hand end of the figure; while in Fig. 1, said elements are illustrated as disconnected, with the slide member 22'occupying a position at the right-hand end of the figure.

Inasmuch as each of the side walls 1'? and 17' with its accompanying strip of interengageable elements, like the other in construction and arrangement, a description in detail of one will serve for both.

In Figs. 3 and 4, it will be seen that the side wall is composed of inner and outer layers 23 and 24 of materiaL-the last-named being folded over the top of the first-named so as to provide an inner overlying reinforcingsection 25. The tape 20, which. carries the interengageable elements,

overlies the inner face of the reinforcing section 25 and preferably extends a distance below the lower end of said section so as to provide a portion 26 which overlies the inner layer 23. Interposed between the inner and outer layers 23 and 24 at or near the top end thereof, as best shown in Fig. 4, is a longitudinally bowed strip spring 27, the form of which is illustrated in Fig. 5. Above and below the bowed spring, the inner and outer layers 23 and 24, overlying section 25 and tape 20 are secured together by the respective seams 28 and 29. Furthermore, below the end of the overlying section 25 the inner and outer layers 23 and 24 and the tape portion 26 are secured together by a seam 30.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, the bowed springs 27 are thus seamed in their respective side walls so that theirbows curve in opposite directions in order to spread the side walls laterally one from another and thus provide a relatively wide mouth opening for the pocket structure. In this way, the opposing strips of interengageable elements are spaced apart to occupy positions as shown in Fig. 1, so that they will not grate upon a hand that is being introduced into or removed from the interior of the pocket structure. pieces 13 and side walls 1'} and 17, being made of pliable or flexible material, are easily spread and contracted by the springs 2'7 accordingly as the latter are permitted to assume their bowed position, as shown in Fig. l or as the latter are forced into a straight and aligned position as shown in Fig. 2.

In use, immediately the slide has been moved into the position which results in the disconnection of one strip of interengageable elements from the other, the springs will assume their natural bowed condition, spreading the top portions of the side walls from one another and so expanding the mouth opening to permit ready access to the interior of the pocket structure without appreciable scraping contact with the projecting interengageable elements. On the other hand, when the slide is moved so as to effect an interengagement of the projecting elements, the springs, being embedded in the side walls and extending longitudinally thereof in proximity to the'strips of fastening elements and parallel therewith, will be forced to assume a straight aligned relationship. As illustrated in Fig. 3, the springs preferably terminate a disrldges'1 6 will be projected outwardly in opposite The end bowed positions. so as to spread the mouth opening of the pocket structure, instantly upon the disconnection of the strips of fastening elements, so that the hand of a person can be freely moved into and out of the interior of the pocket structure without any harsh scraping against the projecting interengageable elements. t-

- The device of my present inventionis exceed-- ingly simple, being composed of few parts which L: are inexpensive to manufacture and" easy to assemble. Moreover, the construction permitsthe usual operation of the slide for connecting-and disconnecting the fastening elements.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, itwill be manifest that I.hav e disclosed an extremely simple and thoroughly satisfactory formpfj'an' expansible pocket structure which embodies the features which I have enumerated in thestatement of the invention'and as well in the foregoing description; and while I have in the present instance, shown and described a simple embodiment thereof as reduced topractice, i t is .to be understood that the constructionis susceptic ble of modification in various particulars without departing from the spirit or scope of my-inventio or sacrificing any of its advantages.

Iclaim:- 1. In a lady's handbag having a pocket struc- 15 ture composed in part of opposing channel;end

sections spreadable in substantially. "parallel planes, spreadable side-walls forming za-pocket open at the top. and having their opposite end portions disposed within the channels of'the 1120 end sections, means connecting the end edges of the'side wall endportions with the sections to enable the side walls, when spreading, to

automatically contact with and .cause spreading of the sections, means for connecting. anddisconnecting the top edges-of the sidewalls longi tudinally along the open top,and resilient .positively self-acting strips embeddedbetween outer and inner layers of said sidewalls longitudinally edges, being effective to-prevent the spreading 5 of said side walls. r v

2. In a handbag including a structure comprising side walls, end walls, and. interengageable connecting means for the side walls; means .for

tance short of -the vertical seam line 19, so as to 3 automatically opening m wan when t -1,140 permit the end portions of the side walls in conjunction with the end pieces to be freely exconnecting means'has'been moved into disengaged position, saidopening' means comprising a pair of opposed bowed re'silientgstrips embeddedbetween outer and inner layers of the'side walls and disconnected one'from the-other, said strlpsr 5 being held in substantially'palralll positionand under tension when the connecting means has been moved into engaged position; l

f MORRIS EwAoMAn/ thereof adjacent said connecting rand discon- 30 

